Childhood deaths from unintentional injuries in rural areas of Iran

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of children's fatal unintentional injuries in rural areas of Iran. SETTING: Thirteen provinces of Iran, with a total population of 11.3 million for 1993-94. METHODS: A descriptive epidemiological study, which obtained information about all deaths using a questionnaire from 6267 Health Houses (rural health centres) for one year, 1993-94. Subjects were residents who died from unintentional injuries. RESULTS: Crude mortality rate was 4.33 per 1000. The number of childhood deaths from unintentional injuries was 1832 (16.6% of all deaths), more among males than females (43.7 v 31.2 per 100,000). Those under 1 had the highest rate, 114.7 per 100,000. The top three causes of deaths were traffic accidents (37.5%), drowning (17.9%), and burns and scalds (12.1%). CONCLUSIONS: During the past decade there has been a marked decline in deaths from infectious diseases in Iran. However, at present, a high proportion of childhood deaths in rural areas are from unintentional injuries. Because all age groups and both sexes are victims of unintentional injuries, and most injuries are preventable, they must be considered as a priority health problem in Iran.